gold star for USAHOF

4. Don Drysdale

4. Don Drysdale
  1. General
  2. Awards
  3. Career Stats
  • Born: July 23, 1936 in Van Nuys, CA USA
  • Weight: 190 lbs.
  • Height: 6'5"
  • Bats: R
  • Throws: R
  • Debut: April 17, 1956
  • Final Game: August 05, 1969
  • Cy Young Award - 1962
  • TSN All-Star - 1962
  • TSN Major League Player of the Year - 1962
  • TSN Pitcher of the Year - 1962
  • Cy Young - 1962
  • MVP - 1957
  • MVP - 1962
  • MVP - 1963
  • MVP - 1965
 
WLERAGGSSVIPSO
2091663.0551846563,432.02486
 

You could say that Don Drysdale was in the shadow of Sandy Koufax for most of his career, and there is nothing wrong with that.  Koufax was a special player in his second half, and no other practitioner of the mound in the 1960s first half-decade would not have been his second fiddle.  Shadow or no shadow, Drysdale was a special Pitcher on an exceptional team and worthy of this top-five rank.

Drysdale came up quickly through the system, debuting in 1956 and earning a spot on the Starting Rotation the following year.  Having won a World Series Ring as a rookie in '56, Drysdale already had a cache of experience and cemented himself as a starter for years to come.  The Dodgers moved to Los Angeles, with Drysdale going to his first All-Star Game in 1959, the team's second year in California, with him also assisting the Dodgers in a World Series Championship.

As Koufax ascended to the top of the Dodgers rotation, Drysdale's game improved.  He won the 1962 Cy Young Award and Major League Player of the Year, leasing the NL in Wins (25), Innings Pitched (314.1), and Strikeouts (232), and had five consecutive All-Star appearances from 1961 to 1965.  Drysdale helped lead Los Angeles to another World Series win.  

Drysdale would later win another World Series in 1965, and in 1968, he set a record with 58.2 scoreless Innings and six consecutive Shutouts and remained a Dodgers star into the late 60s.  He retired with a record of 209 and 166 with a 2.95 ERA and 2,486 Strikeouts.

Drysdale was chosen for the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984, with the Dodgers retiring his number 54 the same year.

The Bullet Points

  • Position: Pitcher
  • Acquired: Signed as an Amateur Free Agent before the 1954 Season.
  • Departed: Retired after the 1969 Season.
  • Games Played: 518
  • Notable Statistics:

    209 Wins
    166 Losses
    2.95 ERA
    465 Games Started
    167 Complete Games
    49 Shutouts
    34 Games Finished
    6 Saves
    3,432 Innings Pitched
    2,486 Strikeouts
    3.02 FIP
    1.148 WHIP
    2.91 SO/BB
    67.1 bWAR                     

    7 Playoff Games
    3 Wins
    3 Losses
    2.95 ERA
    6 Games Started
    3 Complete Games
    1 Shutout
    1 Game Finished
    39.2 Innings Pitched
    36 Strikeouts
    1.21 WHIP
    3.00 SO/BB

  • Major Accolades and Awards:

    World Series Champion (1956, 1959 & 1965)
    Cy Young Award (1962)
    Major League Player of the Year (1962)
    TSN Player of the Year (1962)
    All-Star (1959x2, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1967 & 1968)
    Highest bWAR for Pitchers (1957 & 1964)
    Most Wins (1962)
    Lowest WHIP (1960)
    Highest SO/9 (1959)
    Most Innings Pitched (1962 & 1964)
    Most Strikeouts (1959, 1960 & 1962)
    Most Games Started (1962, 1963, 1964 & 1965)
    Most Shutouts (1959)
    Most Assists by a Pitcher (1957, 1959, 1962 & 1967)
    Highest Range Factor per Game by a Pitcher (1957)

Comments powered by CComment